The easiest way to get a bunch of points fast!
Our family loves to travel on points and miles. We try not to pay full price for anything, but we definitely don’t pay full price for travel! I’ve been travel hacking for over 10 years, and these are the ways I accrue lots of points so our family of 6 can fly (and stay for free).
Sign-up bonuses
Credit card sign-up bonuses are the best way to earn points quickly. Most cards offer a set amount of points after hitting a minimum spend. The minimum spend can be anywhere from $500 to $20,000, depending on the card.
The best cards to apply for first are the Chase cards because Chase has rules about how many cards can be applied for within 24 months. Our favorite card is the Chase Sapphire Preferred because of the ability to transfer the Ultimate Reward points (from here on, UR points) to other vendors. We use our UR points mostly with United, Hyatt, and Southwest. Hyatt Hotels can be found for as little as 3,500 points per night, making them an amazing redemption for families!
Tip: When you sign up for Chase cards, do not add your spouse as an authorized user. Chase will consider that a credit pull and use that against him/her when they apply for their own cards.
While earning 2 points per dollar or other credit card perks can offer “shiny object syndrome,” start with the Chase cards and maximize your benefits with them before moving on to Capital One or Amex. Comment below if you have questions about what card you should get first or next.
We haven’t played for a flight in 8 years
Shopping portals
Shopping extensions are a quick way to add to your points stash. It’s 2024, and most of us are shopping online, so why not use it to your advantage? It’s especially easy to earn points while Christmas shopping!
In your Chrome browser, go to the three little dots on the right-hand side. From that menu, click on “Extensions” and then “Visit Chrome Web Store.” Within the Chrome web store, I recommend adding the Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Shopping button, the AAdvantage eShopping portal, and the United Mileage Plus Shopping portal. If you do not have a frequent flyer number, you’ll need to first set up those accounts first with Southwest, American, and United. If you have an American Express card and want to earn extra MR points, you can set up Rakuten shopping and link your AMEX account.
If you prefer to focus on just one airline, that’s fine, too. If you like to fly American Airlines, I recommend using their shopping portal first, because their airline miles expire after 24 months of inactivity. Earning points while shopping is a quick way to keep your mileage account up-to-date so your miles don’t expire.
Strategic spending
While the quickest way to earn points is by earning sign-up bonuses, being strategic with your monthly spending also builds your points accounts. We’ve been doing this hobby for nearly 10 years and have signed up for 46 cards in that timeframe! AHHH! So there have been months when we’ve needed to cool off and not apply for cards (see this post about Chase’s 5/24 rule). Doing our regular household spending with intention helps our account balances grow efficiently.
My Amex Gold earns 4x points at the grocery store and my Chase Sapphire Preferred earns 3x points for online grocery orders (like Kroger Clicklist). My Chase Sapphire Preferred also earns 3x points when dining out and my husband’s Ink Business card earns 2x points on gas. The Chase Freedom card has quarterly bonuses. During the summer, they will often have 5x points on gas and there is usually one quarter that offers 5x points on groceries. Making sure we use the right cards for each purchase ensures our balances grow faster. I also bought these fun stickers to put on our cards and help us remember.
Being strategic with the stores we visit also helps us earn more miles. For instance, Walmart and Target purchases don’t code as grocery! And Amazon doesn’t offer any extra points through shopping portals. So shopping at stores that code correctly for bonus points (and, honestly, I save more money shopping at Aldi v. Walmart anyway) helps us gain more miles in the long term.
Start traveling for free!
Ready to get started earning points and miles and traveling for free? The current Chase Sapphire Preferred offer is 60,000 points. 60,000 Chase points can easily be transferred to Southwest Airlines and Hyatt Hotels. With just the sign-up bonus you’d be very close to a free weekend trip to Florida (from the Midwest).
Did you know?! – I offer classes on how to do this money-saving hobby! Comment below and I’ll get back to you!
For your continued reading: How much did we spend on a 28-day trip to Hawaii and Australia or Travel Hacking a Winter Getaway to Tampa